Cass County, Illinois - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 9 of those read), 1882

PRINCETON PRECINCT - GENERAL DESCRIPTION - BOUNDARIES, TOPOGRAPHY AND SURFACE FEATURES-THE EARLY SETTLEMENT - PIONEER HARDSHIPS - FIRST MILL AND OTHER IMPROVEMENTS - WALNUT GROVE SCHOOL- HOUSE - PRESENT SCHOOLS - CHURCHES - OLD PRINCETON, AND ITS BUSINESS ENTERPRISE-LITTLE INDIAN VILLAGE.

A3 we travel along the highways that traverse this beautiful section of Cass County, it is difficult to realize that scarcely half a century ago these luxuriant plains were peoj)led by a few wandering savages and formed part of a vast, unbroken wild, wliich gave but little promise of the high state of civilization it has since attiined. Instead of the primitive log cabin and diminutive board shanty, we see dotting the land in all directions comfortable and eh-gant mansions of the latest stylos of architecture, graceful, su'istantial and convenient. We see also the bosom of the country decked with churches of all religious denominations, and well-built school-houses at close intervals. The fields are laden with the choicest cereals, pastures are all alive with numerous herds of the finest breeds of cattle, and other stock of improved quality, while everything bespeaks the thrift and prosperity with which the farmer in this fertile division of the county is blessed.

Princeton Precinct lies on the Southern border of the county, and is one of the smallest divisions, containing scarce fifteen sections or square miles; and a story told of the State of Rhode Island, may be applied to Princeton; that when the people wish to communicate with each other, they do not write letters or send messages, but go out in the yard and call to them. Although small in extent, it is in many respects, one of the best precincts in the county. Virginia and Philadelphia Precinct bound it on the North, Philadelphia lies on the East, Morgan County is its Southern boundary, and Virginia Precinct, a narrow strip of which extends to the south line of the county, bounds it on the West. It lies in township seventeen, and in ranges nine and ten. Little Indian Creek is its only water course of any note, and flows southwest, through a corner of the precinct. The land lies well, and is all susceptible of cultivation, and when first seen by white people, contained much valuable timber, as well as prairie land. The Peoria, Pekin and .lacksonville Railroad, now a divison of tiie Wabash system, traverses it from north to south almost throuffh the center, with one station. Little Indian, in the precinct, from which much stock and grain are annually shipped.

Among the earliest settlements in Cass County, made by white people, was that, in what now forms Princeton Precinct. From old Kentucky, that famous land of blue grass, fine stock, pretty women and good whisky, came the pioneers of this portion of the county. They were, so far as we could learn, Jesse AUard, Nathan Coinpton, James Tilford, James Stevenson, Jacob Lorance, Samuel Montgomery, Thomas Gatton, William Conover, Alexander Beard, Isaac Mitchell, John Epler, and others. These families, with one or two exceptions, were, as we said, from Kentucky, and came hither in the usual pioneer style, on horseback, in wagons drawn by oxen, and even on foot. Some had left homes of affluence behind them, others were poor.

and all came for the purpose of bettering their condition, and laying up something for that proverbial rainy day. Mr. Allard came about the year 1830, and settled on the place now owned by Philip Buracher, of Virginia; Nathan Compton arrived previous to 18"28, and was one of the pioneer school teachers. He married a daughter of one of the Bergens, bought a farm, but sold out afterward, and moved to Schuyler County. Tilford located, in 18;J7, on the place now owned by William Black, in Walnut Grove timber, township seventeen, range nine. He sold out in 1840, and moved away. James Stevenson, with five grown sons, Wesley, James, William, Robert and Augustus, came in 1839, and bought land of Thomas Gatton, who had preceded him several years, and had taken up land in section twenty-six, township seventeen. He was from Maryland, but had resided in Kentucky several years before coming to Illinois. He opened one of the first stores the present limits of Cass County, and was long a prominent business man. He has a son, Z. W. Gatton, residing in Virginia, who for years has been identified with the town.

Mr. Stevenson was a native of Virginia, but liki; Mr. Gatton, had emigrated to Kentuckj' in the pioneer period of the dark and blood)' ground, where he was forced to contend with the Indians for his very life. He bought land, as already stated, from Thomas Gatton, upon which he settled and upon which he died in 1851, at the age of ?4 years. His son, William Stevenson, now lives on the place and is noticed in another chapter, as one of the most extensive breeders of short horn cattle in this section of the State. Lorance was originally from North Carolina, but like hundreds of other early settlers in Southern Illinois, ha, had stopped for a time in Kentucky. He located on North Prairie, on section 25, township 17 and range 10, on the place now owned by Wm. Hemerron, who also lives on it. Mr. Lorance has one son still living in this region. Montgomery was from Adair County, Ky., and came here in 1839, locating on section 30, township 17, on the place where his son now lives. John Epler came here from Clark County, Ind., about the year 1831-32. In another department will be found an extensive sketch of the Epler family, and anything said here would be hut a repetition. Mr. Conover settled at Walnut Grove in 1832, on the place now owned and occupied by George Virgin. Beard settled here in 182G, on the farm now owned by his son, George Beard, of Virginia. Isaac Mitchell was from Logan County, Ky., and settled on the place in 1837, where Robert Taylor now lives.

Other pioneer settlers in township 17 and range 10, and many of whom were in what is now Princeton Precinct, were Peter Conover, Jacob Yaples, John Dorsey, a man named Chambers, George Bristow, a widow Cantrel, a widow Richardson, and Thomas Hanby. These were all among the earliest settlers in this region, and some of them will be further mentioned in the history of Philadelphia Precinct. A few years later the " Imlian Creek Settlement," as it was called, and a part of which still remains in Morgan County, and in the edges of Virginia and Philadelphia Precincts, was further augmented by the arrival of the following pioneers: Jacob Epler, John Hiler, Charles Beggs, a man named Nancesy, Rev. John Biddlecome, William Kinner, a widow named Pratt, with four stalwart sons, and several more, whose names are forgotten. The first of these pioneers settled in the timber, avoiding the prairie as they would a desert. It was not until all the timber-land had been taken up that emigrants began to venture out on the prairies. Single families tried it at first, then they came in groups of three or four, locating at difi"erent places, until soon the prairie was thickly dotted with pioneer dwellings. Soon school houses were built, churches were organized, mills were erected, and the foundation laid for a prosperous community, where shortly before had been a desert-prairie and wilderness. This remarkable development has been brought about within a comparatively short time, for looking back through the vista of fifty odd years, these broad plains were the grazing places of numerous herds of wild denizens of the forest and prairie, and the campingground of savages. Now the rich soil is broken everywhere, woods have fallen, pleasant drives, well-tilled fields, beautiful orchards and delightful homes, checker the view, speaking volumes for the enterprise of the pioneers of this portion of the county.

The people in the early days lived in the most frugal manner - corn bread and wild meat being the principal diet during the first years. The clothing was cheap, and that for both sexes was made at home by the pioneer mothers, who were no more afraid of work than their husbands. In the words of Eugene Hall - and all members of the household, male and female, men, women and children, were usually employed in some part of the manufacture of this family clothing. It is still a mystery how the people lived and prospered in those early days. The manner of cultivating the crops was so simple, the tools so different and rude, and the distance to market so great, and the prices so incredibly low, that we wonder how any one, even with the strictest economy, could prosper at all. The farmers of to-day, who have reduced agriculture to a science, and cultivate their lands almost entirely by machinery, know little of what that same work required here fifty or sixty years ago. The farmer now would expect to starve if he had to sell his corn at from six and a-half to twelve and a-half cents per bushel, and wheat for twentyfive cents, and haul it to St. Louis or Chicago, even at those figures. But times have changed, and the world, or the people who inhabit it, have grown both older and wiser.

The emigrant, when he locates in a new country, generally thinks of a mill, as the first improvement. He can do without fine clothes and many other luxuries, but he can not get along very well without bread. The first mill of which we have any reliable account, was built by John Epler, and was of the most unique and primitive style. This mill was run by horse power, but geared in a peculiar manner. Mr. Epler had cut off smoothly, a stump, into which he bored a hole. Upon this he fastened a shaft, which had a wheel at the other end, running upon a circular platform, and from this singular arrangement a shaft extended, which operated the mill. It was a great benefit to the community, and people came from the Sangamon country, camping all night, in order to secure the first turn in the morning. With a good team the buhrs would grind from one to two bushels of corn per hour. This was the way the pioneers had of getting their bread. " In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread," was a text they could all appreciate. But other mills were built in the neighborhood as the increasing population demanded, and this trouble of procuring meal was forever set at rest.

The first school house in the precinct, and, in fact, in all that region of country, was a log building, about 18x20 feet, of the usual pioneer type, and was built in the fall of 1833. In this old log school house, where the floor the youth of the neighborhooJ learned their A B C's. It was constructed mostly of bass wood, and finally was treated to a plank floor, a shingle roof, and was heated by a stove, the first stove ever in this part of the county. It was known far and wide as Walnut Grove schoolhouse, in consequence of standing near a ))ody of walnut timber, on section tliirty-one, township seventeen, and range ten. Joel C. Robins<in was one of the first teachers in it; he taught there in 1835-.36, and afterward went to Kentucky, near Louisville, where he was shot in a difficulty with a pupil. Among those who attended at this old school house, were the children of Samuel Montgomery, John Epler, Isaac Mitchell, Jacob Lorance, James Stevenson, Nathan Compton, Charles Beggs, and oth-ers. The house stood and was occupied for school purposes until June, 1844, when it was blown down in a wind storm. Previous to this, however, other school houses had been erected in the precinct, and the loss of this pioneer relic was not, after all, a serious backset to the cause of education.

School houses now dot the country throughout the precinct, and the facilities for receiving a good common school education are excellent. For the usual term each year, good schools are taught by competent teachers, and every means employed to furnish knowledge to the masses.

The first church building erected in the precinct of Princeton, was at the village of Old Princeton, in 1835, and was Missionary Baptists. Afterward a Christian Church was built about 1838, but both of these have past away, and there are now but two churches in the precinct, viz.: Zion Presbyterian, and the Swedish Church at Little Indian.

for church service, having a partition wiih folding doors in it. The church building now standing, is owned jointly by the Methodists and Presbyterians, who use it in common. The Presbyterian Church Society was organized April 35, 1830, by Rev. J. M. Ellis, then living at Jacksonville. The first elders were: Jacob Lorance, Benjamin Workman, and Samuel Montgomery. Rev. W. J. Fraser was the first regular pastor. Among the first regular members were: Jacob and Isabella Lorance, Delilah Richards, Benjamin and Margaret Workman, Mary Tilford, Samuel and Mary Montgomery, James and Harriet Stevenson, Daniel and Susan Stone, Morgan and Sarah Green. The Methodist Society was not organized until some years later.

Old Princeton. - The village of Princeton was laid out by .Jonathan Berger, February 19, 1833, and was the second town laid out in what is now Cass County. It was located on the east half of the southeast quarter of section 30, township 17, range 10, and was, at the time it was laid out, in Morgan County. Bergen, the proprietor of the town, was one of the early settlers of this section, and a stirring, energetic man.

The first goods sold at Princeton, was by Stephen Mallory, or the firm of Mallory & Lewis, who opened a store about 1836, several years before the town was laid out. Mallory sold out and returned to Kentucky, whence he came, and Lewis carried on the business until 1833-34, and then sold out to Talraage, who shortly after sold to Parrot & Alcott. After continuing the business about three years, Alcott bought out Parrot and took Jacob Bergen in as a partner, about the year 1836. Alcott retired about 1840, and Mr. Bergen continued the business up to 1869. Win. Kinner opened a stock of goods at Princeton about 1838-39, and Wm. Brown started a store there also about 1840 and took Kinner's stand. Thus Princeton becama quite a thriving little town, and did a large business. Thomas Cowan and Henry Murray were early blacksmiths of the place. Wm. Brown was the first Justice of the Peace in this whole section of country, and was commissioned as such in 1840. The town increased until at one time it had some two hundred inhabitants.

A wool carding machine was started by John Camp, about 183G, and was operated for several years. It had a tread-wheel, and the power was furnished by oxen, placed upon this large wheel. About the year 18-tl it was removed to Virginia, where it did good service for a number of years. Clifford Wear, a wagon-maker, plied his trade for a long while ; a shoe-shop was also carried on by a man whose name is now forgotten. Zirkle Robinson carried on tailoring, and all other branches of business common in a country town were established. But the time came when it began to decline, and as steadily as it had grown, it now faded away. The town of Virginia was rising into a place of note ; a railroad was built which left Princeton out in the cold, and it was finally vacated April 31, 1875. Princeton is blotted from the map, and may now rank with the lost cities of the plain; - Sic transit gloria, etc.

Little Indian Village, or Station, is located on the Peoria, Pekin & Jacksonville Railroad, about four miles south of Virginia. It stands on the northwest quarter of section 35, township 17, range 10, and is but little else than a shipping station on the railroad. It has never been laid out as a village, and, indeed, makes no pretensions to that dignity. Jacob Epler was the first white man to locate near the place, and afterward James Stevenson settled there. A burying-ground was laid out very early, where the water-tank of the railroad now stands. Human bones were exhumed, when the road was being built, and were buried at Zion Church, about a mile distant.

Little Indian merely comprises a railroad station, a shipping point, one store and a Swedish church. Mr. Stevenson is the agent of the railroad here, and has been ever since its completion and opening to business.